If you use an employment agency, they’ll handle the first round of short-listing.

But if you’re recruiting, then you need to shortlist the pool of candidates for the interviews. If you’re the business owner or office manager, you might be the one handling this human resource function.

Better still, there is a simple short-listing template coming up in a blog post. An admin-assistant can handle the short-listing.

Step 4. Maximise the Interview Event

Fourth comes the interviews, something you’ve been building up to.

In a short time, within an hour or less, you need to spot and select the right person. You can well imagine, the more preparations you’ve made, the higher the chances of finding a good fit.

The person you want and for that person to want to work with you. It works both ways.

Have two people carry out the interview—the hiring manager and the line-manager. If there is no line-manager, then have a second person (perhaps the office assistant) make the pair. A second opinion helps moderate the selection.

Step 5. Contact the Candidates

Fifth step, contact the candidates. Why is contacting the candidate a step by itself?

Because the interview starts when you make that first contact—not when the candidate first walks into your office.

There is a method to making first contact—something that most hiring managers ignore. More of this in later blog posts.

In the next post, we conclude this 3-part series with steps 6, 7 and 8.

Can you guess the 8 steps in a simple hiring process? In a 3-part series of blog posts we’ll cover all 8 steps that a typical small business owner could mirror.

Step 1. Define the Job Requirements

Define your requirements regarding the job and the candidate—in the order of importance:

The job scope—what you want the person to do

The candidate’s qualifications—hard skills, soft skills and expertise

The job title—position in the business hierarchy

Notice that job title comes last. Most employers start with the job title and build in the problem from the word—Go!

In many small businesses the office manager or the owner himself might define the job requirements.

But—this is important—if you destine the new hire to work for/report to a particular line-manager, then involve that line-manager when defining the job requirements.

You’re the boss; the engine under the bonnet; the hands on the steering wheel, driving the business. All true. But every business is a team effort. At the very least, a second opinion helps with moderation. Moreover, you’re paying good money for that line-manager. Maximise your money. Tap that line-manager’s input. Plus, he has to work the new hire. Give him a say. Get him to buy into the hire.

Step 2. Recruit a Pool of Candidates

Recruit a pool of candidates and remember, the larger the pool the greater the choice. This is the class from which you will choose the best.

There are various avenues for recruiting: via advertisements, referrals and internal recruitments. Increasingly, organisations outsource recruitment to professional agencies—head hunters, as they’re sometimes referred to.

Join me next time for Steps 3, 4 and 5. And keep count of how many steps you guessed.

For some jobs, such as sales/marketing/business development—individuals can stand on their track record.

But how do you identify track record/expertise where people work in teams? Think of the shirker in your old college project team. Has the candidate applying for the job hijacked his team’s success as his own? Worse, is he blamed for his team’s failure?

But some hiring managers rely on “years of experience” as a proxy for “expertise”.

Scenario or situation-based questions are the best means to identify expertise.

If you’re a HR manager seeking someone for a HR function, you know the questions to formulate. You have the job-specific skills to pull this off.

If the scenario question is specific to a line function invite that line-manager to construct the questions. He knows best the problems and the help he needs.

Here is a sample scenario question for a hydraulic systems technician in the automotive, industrial, aviation, or marine sector:

System pressure is low. The pressure gauge is not defective. Full reservoir; and the system plumbing is not leaking. What could be the problem?

This is a common trouble-shooting scenario for hydraulic technicians. He might have worked in a workshop for many years. But was he mopping the floor and topping up the oil? Or was he in the thick of things? A scenario question will nail his level of expertise and experience.

Caveat: Do not allow line-managers to waste the interview session by having them cover questions which the HR person can handle. Questions such as what is your strength; what is your weakness; and similar generic themes.

In fact, when the HR or hiring manager is interviewing the candidate, the line-manager should keep silent; study the candidate’s body language; and pick up hints regarding his character.

Here is an outline to identity, measure and grow your team’s human capital.

List 3 to 5 soft skills you desire or reflects your management style, business needs, and corporate culture. Take a team approach (from multiple stakeholders) and draw up this list.

Construct questions to identify the soft skills and proficiency tests to verify expertise you seek. Do not rely on mere “years of experience” as time spent on a job does not equate to expertise. Proficiency tests could be multiple choice or short-answer questions and scenario based questions.

New Launch. Second edition. Heavy revision. What little fluff existed in the original book was edited out and the page count reduced—without forsaking content. Contains 20 tables to the 10 in the original book.

Thin book, thin on theory. Condenses several decades of hands-on business exposure.

Great team builders know that more than quantity, it is quality that counts. The team is made up of individuals and will succeed or collapse dependent on its weakest link.

2. Why don’t hiring managers chose the best people?

There are many reasons and here are a few (feel free to share your points in the comments below):

They’re unable to recognize the best – the most talented.

They do not know what they’re looking for in people.

They confuse paper qualifications and “years of experience” for expertise.

They’re fearful of bringing in people who might outshine them.

And many more…

3. Is it not true the more the talented, the more an employer has to pay?

Most people speak in general terms and this is part of the problem. Instead of asking the right questions, they seek the “right” answers. Getting the right answer to a wrong question is not progress, not productive. However, even a wrong answer to a right question sets you on the path of progress.

Instead of seeking the “most talented” the question should be – How do I select the most talented (the best) from a given class of candidates?

This leads us to the next question.

4. How do I determine the class of people?

You do this by clearly defining the following:

The job’s scope – what exactly do you want that employee to accomplish. The more detailed, the better.

The job’s requirements – both objective or hard skills (paper credentials, years of experience, etc) and subjective elements such as soft skills.

An overview of the remuneration package on offer.

These three criteria will attract the right people, or people who consider themselves qualified.

Use the objective/hard skills as a funnel to shortlist candidates, people who meet ALL the requirements (excluding the soft skills) – and this will be your class of applicants.

During your selection process, zero in on the soft skills you desire and you will have your best-in-class. You’re not paying more but paying the same to chose the best from a given class of candidates.

5. Let us be candid here, as a salaried manager, if I chose someone better than me, I risk losing out on promotions and even my job. Do you expect me to chose what is good for my employer over what is good for me?

A pointed question and it’s a very valid question. Answer pending…

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Note: I shall upload more questions and answers in this post, and welcome you to “follow” my blog so that you’re kept updated.

Meanwhile, enjoy this short clip: Quality over Quantity is what makes a winner!